The present invention relates generally to devices for the automatic transport and processing of objects and more specifically to devices for the immersion of objects including film such as dental X-ray film chips in one or more fluid filled tanks.
Various devices are known for automatic transport and processing of solid objects in fluid baths. Of interest is Siebach, U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,860, which discloses a geared apparatus for transporting articles to be cleaned through a plurality of processing stations. The items to be transported are affixed to a continuous length of corrugated ribbon along a closed loop path and are transported to a plurality of processing stations including solution tanks. Other devices for processing of objects in fluid baths include those such as disclosed by Gutrie, U.S. Pat. No. 2,214,925 and Hightower, U.S. Pat. No. 3,033,710.
Devices specifically known in the art for processing of X-ray film chips include those such as disclosed by Schafler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,467. Schafler relates to an X-ray film developer comprising a plurality of fluid containing tanks, each of which has a rotatably mounted drum therein, each drum being provided with a spiral belt accepting groove. The device further comprises a continuous, flexible, resilient belt which is wound around each of the drums and which contains slits for holding X-ray film chips. As the belt is rotated, it drives each of the rotating drums, and film chips attached thereto are sequentially exposed to the fluid baths and to a drying chamber.
Zwettler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,525, discloses a film processor for dental X-ray film comprising a pair of laterally disposed, vertically spaced parallel walls of tracks forming a continuously curved channel with three loops. The downwardly extending curved portions of the loops extend into tanks comprising film processing chemicals in the development compartment of the processor. The inside surfaces of the pair of walls are provided with a pair of vee-grooves which form a pathway for engaging the opposite sides of a film chip. Film chips to be processed in the apparatus are permitted to drop by gravity along the downwardly extending portions of the path and are pushed by synchronized rotating bars along the upwardly extending portions of its path. Brooks, U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,852, discloses a dental film carriage useful for conveying odd sized dental film chips in the device of Zwettler.
Mears, U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,821, discloses a device for transporting dental film chips comprising two driven gears having pivotally attached cranks at pivot points maintained at the same elevation as the gears rotate. The upper ends of the cranks are attached to a horizontal moving guide bar. Film chips are transported by the mechanism along a fixed guide plate having a number of spaced vertical slots from which film chips advance into developing tanks.
Wilson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,036, relates to a film processing device having a rotating vertical column having a spiral groove for raising and lowering an annular hub and arms (see FIG. 4, Nos. 40, 48).
Despite the various devices for processing solid objects which are known to the art, there remains a need for a reliable, mechanically simple device for carrying out automatic processing of small solid objects.